Warriors: The Prophecy Five
by TheSwiftWarrior14
Summary: There are five clans. Each consisting of a base, lead by a leader. The council advises the clan, while the healer treats injuries and receives omens. The smith is the builder of the weapons, and the master of the flames. There are five clans. Five clans, and five vital cats. There will be five deaths, and five words to live by. This is, The Prophecy Five.


"Like there are five clans, a warrior only needs five things. The first is survival... the will to go on. Secondly, we require joy. We are driven in different ways, by love and belonging. Like each of these, we alike need power. Each need, when met, becomes a trait. Survival translates into experience. Joy becomes contentedness. Love becomes inspiration. Belonging gives us confidence. Power, on the other paw, can go in two ways. There is a path of strength and loyalty, and a path of evil. It's our choice what to do with our power. Whether we like it or not."

- Pikeflame, head council member, Ridgeclan.

Chapter 1- End Patrol

There have forever been five clans. Sprawled outwards, Ridgeclan touches even the most barren of mountain faces. Beechclan inhabits the miles of beachside that face the sea, along their neighbours of Treeclan that own the forest. Grassclan lay below them, thriving upon plains of tall grass and dusty medows. Finally, below them, as the ground grows dry and the heat rises is Duneclan.

There will forever be five clans.

This is a story that could begin anywhere, really.

It could have begun on the plains, beaches, forests or deserts. Could, being the key word.

Because this tale begins in the heart of Ridgeclan territory. With me, of all cats.

My name is Owlpaw.

Now the scene opened with the steady pounding of warrior's feet and smell of summer. I padded at a quick pace in the midst of a large, daytime patrol. Just an apprentice, here. So young and innocent.

I was a cat born with the heart of a warrior. There was no doubt about that. Though my legs were fairly short and my muscles were lean, I loved every moment I spent serving my clan. I wear, to this day, a face that reads heavy thought and subtle confusion. I've been told my round amber eyes are telling of a sadness that here, I had never known. I didn't quite make sense to me, really. I was happy. Carefree, to say the very least,

There was something to be said about the Ridgeclan lands. My home.

Where we tread, just at the edge of a handsome limestone craig, you could peer downwards and see the vast stretches of Treeclan territory and uninhabited lowlands. I could take a breath inwards, and smell what the others deemed sky. We weren't mountain cats, certainly not. Though, upon turning my head, the stretch of mountains was visible. We thrived on the lower faces of the peaks and the rocky plains that surrounded them.

Not many trees grew here, but those that did sprouted in clumps of rich evergreen in between the slabs of rough gray stone. The sky that hung above us was a remarkable blue, not a cloud remaining from the rainy morning. Puddles lingered in the dips on the stone, the water reflecting the sky like pristine mirrors. I managed to flick a claw through one, distorting the image and making it ripple outwards into perfect circles.

This was my contentedness. And like the elders would often say, it was my joy.

There were five apprentices that belonged to Ridgeclan. Three of which were here on this patrol. There was I, a young she-cat with rusty brown tabby fur and a snowy white underbelly. My eyes were amber, and my ears and tail were tipped with the same white that covered my paws and stomach. I had strong haunches and a broad head, which gave me a boyish handsomeness that I didn't exactly favour. Not that I cared much for the way I looked. My paws were set on a path that allowed little time for preening.

Then there was Sootpaw. Sootpaw was only a moon older than me, though he held the stature of a cat just out of the nursery. He was small, with intense emerald green eyes and large ears. His fur stuck out unevenly most times, his pelt a snowy white with silver and gray splotches. His tail was long and furry, and dragged on the ground in front of me as he dashed behind the other cats. He was small and clumsy, but no less a good cat.

His brother Snowpaw was almost the exact opposite. The tom was tall, lean muscled. His fur was snowy white, and apparently where he got his name. He was strikingly good looking, with a charming voice that made almost every cat in the clan want to be his friend. You think that sort of attention would get to a cat's head, but Snowpaw was just as level headed as Sootpaw. It was that sort of cat that the clans needed badly. I was beyond sick of cockiness. I gues the only thing the two littermates had in common was that, and their deep green eyes.

And so we walked, along the paths long matted down by the rough Ridgeclan paws. This patrol was lead by Darkclaw, a council member of Ridgeclan. He was a dark tabby tom with cedar green eyes and white tabby markings. The tom towered over Ashwing, the deputy who padded just beside him. She was a dark gray she-cat with subtle, dark tabby markings and smoldering gray eyes. They exchanged quiet small talk in the midst of the peaceful summer day.

We broke out into a vast treeless area, and Darkclaw lead us to a steep drop off. The wind tugged at my fur, and I blinked quickly. Sootpaw stumbled but I managed to stick out my paw and steady him.

"Careful, Sooty." I meowed, setting my paw down on the rough stone face. Snowpaw chuckled and cuffed his brother.

"I'm with Owlpaw on this one." He meowed. "Plus I bet she'd be real sad if something happened to you."

I narrowed my eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?" I glared at the handsome white tom.

Snowpaw backed up. "Woah... someones getting defensive..." He laughed a little.

Sootpaw stood up and lashed his tail jokingly. "Yeah, I mean what's not to resit..." He raised his chin and stuck his tail up, closing his eyes and puffing out his chest. I tried not to laugh.

"Alright... you keep thinking that." I meowed and Sootpaw got out of the pose, winking at me and padding back into line. Snowpaw nudged me.

"You're blushing." He meowed.

I raised my head to look up at him. "How can you tell?"

He laughed and dashed forward. I stopped for a second, a little embarrassed. Then I bounded up behind him and sprung upwards. I tackled him clumsily, dragging him down with my paws wrapped around his neck.

Sootpaw let out a frightened yip, and Snowpaw shook me off.

"You've got to deal with those anger issues." He meowed, shaking the needles from his fur. He batted me across the shoulders and I stumbled, and Sootpaw took to leaping up and knocking the wind out of me.

I growled, shoving him off and standing up. We all laughed.

Darkclaw looked back at the three of us, and narrowed his eyes. "This isn't battle practice," He meowed. "Back in line, if you please."

I flattened my ears against my head and padded after Snowpaw and Sootpaw. I hadn't been an apprentice for any more than five moons, but I knew well enough that the clan council was not a force that anyone wanted to mess with.

Ashwing and Darkclw marked the borders around the lip of the rock, and I could smell fresh Treeclan scent. It was odd, as they almost never came this close to our borders. Ashwing cocked her head, glancing at the clumps of silver fur lodged among the brambles.

"Huh," She meowed, taking a deep breath in. "Smells like loner." she stated.

Darkclaw batted the branch, sending the fur flying back down to Treeclan territory. "Those leaf brains probably drove some barn cat up here." He turned his head, as if some cat would jump out at them.

Sootpaw sauntered towards us, with the usual happy look in his eyes. "I'll report it to Froststar, if you want." He looked up at Ashwing.

The she-cat laughed. "I think that we can wait until we get back," She meowed. "Barn cats being the least of our worries."

"Fine." He meowed, looking a little disappointed.

Snowpaw sniffed the air, and glanced up at us. "I feel like I've smelled that before though..." He trailed off, breathing in again.

Darkclaw nudged the younger tom. "You're imagining it kid. Trespassers are more rare than twolegs in these parts."

We turned and made our way back down the ridge towards camp. It was a fairly long walk, as each clan had a considerable amount of territory. The sun blazed above us, making my fur warm. I let my mouth hang open, and panted lightly.

"Hot?" Ashwing padded up beside me. I glanced up at the deputy and nodded.

"Yeah..." I panted again and shook out my fur.

"Got your dad's pelt, that's why." She added, hinting once again about how alike my father and I looked. Hailstorm was a senior warrior, and most cats guessed he'd soon be elected to the council. I shrugged, and she laughed.

"Better than this, I suppose." She shook her own fur, which was dark and thick.

Darkclaw called Ashwing over, and she quickly dismissed me. I padded up beside the two brothers. I noticed the chestnut brown, rusty brown and white tabby fur of my own brother, Blazepaw. The three of us bounded up to greet the four apprentice of Ridgeclan, who reeked of smoke and wore a pelt stained with ashes.

"Dude, what in Starclan were you doing?" Snowpaw coughed and stepped back.

"Creekfur was showing me how to work the forge," He meowed happily. "It's so cool!"

Sootpaw frowned, taking a breath in of the thick air around him. "Smiths..." He muttered.

"Smith's apprentice," Blazepaw added, and I could almost still see the fire reflected in his amber eyes. Starclan was he proud to be Creekfur's apprentice. I didn't quite understand what was so great about sitting in front of a fire all day, smelting down metal and making it into weapons. Then again, what would these clans be without cats like that?

"And were are my steel claws, Blazepaw?" Snowpaw added jokingly. Like an apprentice could ever own their own claw re-nforcments. Especially steele, which was gradually getting harder to find these days.

"Well Creekfur's been working on a new model, if you want to come and see them." He meowed. "Their so sick, just you wait and see."

"Let's go," Snowpaw nodded, and we retreated down the rocky tunnel into camp.


End file.
